"Novels, novels, novels
Important things must be
repeated three times"
Quick Transmigration: She's a Heartbreaker: Ch 92, The Imposter Noble Lady After Jiang Xun went, it was Yan Xi Wu and she quickly said the next one, "The Eight Virtues. Filial piety, respect, loyalty, trustworthiness, courtesy, righteousness, integrity and humbleness." The noble ladies weren’t surprised that Yan Xi Wu was able to answer. Her talent was pretty outstanding among these ladies. On her right was the Di daughter of the Wang family. She seemed to have thought about it for a long time, but still didn't think of one. Seeing everyone was looking at her, her whole face flushed and her voice was like the buzzing of a mosquito so that only the people next to her and herself could hear it. The rest of the people couldn’t hear her clearly. "What did Young Miss Wang say?" Someone asked softly. On her left, Jiang Yan, looked at Young Miss Wang and didn't say anything. Instead, the second young miss of the Wei family on the right of Young Miss Wang said loudly, "She said an eight-carriage sedan chair." The surroundings went quiet for a while and then all the ladies couldn't help laughing. With those young masters’ clear laughter, the atmosphere immediately became lively. Young Miss Wang's head seemed like it was about to drop onto the ground and she couldn't wait to find a hole to crawl into. In the end, it was Xiao Wang He who managed to put up a stern face, "Young Miss Wang’s answer is wrong, continue to the next one." Only then did the ladies stop laughing and sat up properly again. Following that came many ridiculous phrases. For example: Gossipy, Eighth Brother… … Even Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding was said. Everyone laughed and laughed so much that even their stomachs started hurting. After one round, only eight of the thirteen noble ladies answered correctly. With a few noble ladies who couldn’t think of them that uttered phrases that made people laugh, the atmosphere was liven up. When it was Jiang Xun's turn again, she raised her eyes and smiled slightly, "The Eight Sounds." Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Wei Ming Yu, "That’s what I said just now. Don't try to fake your way through this!" Everyone's gazes focused on her. These gazes contained indifference, surprise and mocking. Jiang Xun’s expression didn’t change. Ignoring her, she just faintly continued, “Young Miss Wei has misunderstood, this Eight Sounds is not the same as the other Eight Sounds. The Eight Sounds I'm referring to are the Eight Sounds unique to Buddhism, that is, excellent sound, soft sound, harmonious sound, respectful sound, neutral sound, right sound, inexhaustible tone." Everyone's gazes changed in an instant. People who originally were just watching the excitement looked at Jiang Xun differently. None of these ladies knew what she was talking about. Wei Ming Yu's face turned cold as her eyes flashed with anger and her gaze toward Jiang Xu became a bit aggressive. Yan Cong grinned, "Younger Cousin Xun is quite knowledgeable, you actually started studying Buddhism at such a young age." Jiang Xun's attitude was still composed, "It’s only a little dabbling. Yesterday I just turned to a page about this at random. I didn't expect I'll be able to use it today, it’s quite a coincidence." Little did she know that once her words fell, Xiao Wang He complimented, "This Lady is too modest. Even if she only turned to it at random yesterday, but with just that quick glance, she can list out these Eight Sounds without missing a word today. It deserves to be called an eidetic memory." The way Xiao Wang He looked at her filled with appreciation and praise. Jiang Xun smiled. Her generous appearance made everyone gain a better favorability towards her. Jiang Xun remembered that this Second Young Master Xiao favored talented women the most. His ideal wife could add fragrance to his red sleeves as well as enjoy poems and paintings with him in the study with endless common topics to talk about. Jiang Xun had confidence in her talents. The books she has read weren't something those teenage girls present could compare to. Even Xiao Wang He might not be necessarily more knowledgeable than her, she just doesn't have the political foresight of those men. She knows that she is just a little girl who’s good at using her own advantages and has a hobby of understanding people's hearts. What she was most skilled at was just being likable and stealing people's hearts. His words were backed by many noblemen. “Exactly so, the Eight Sounds This Little Lady said, I'm afraid not many of the ones present today also know." Another clear voice sounded. Jiang Xun noticed that the Fourth Prince, Yan Cong, was looking at her with amusement with a smile on the corner of his eyes and an affectionate expression. Kang Wangye interrupted them in a deep voice, "Let's continue." The remaining eight noble ladies continued to xing ling. When it was Wei Ming Yu's turn, she provocatively glanced at Jiang Xun before saying loudly, "The Eighth Seasons. The beginning of spring, the Spring Equinox, the beginning of summer, the Summer Solstice, the beginning of autumn, the Autumnal Equinox, the beginning of winter and the Winter Solstice." Although this answer was simple, there was no fault that could be found. Everyone nodded slightly and let it pass. Following that, it was the other ladies’ turns. Some passed, while others answered incorrectly. When it was Jiang Xun's turn again, everyone's gazes were already collectively on her. Jiang Xun lowered her head a little, making it unable to see her expression. However, that gentle side profile, petite chin and an elegant swan-like neck were all intoxicating. Her soft voice sounded, "The Eight Sworn Acquaintances. The Acquaintance of Bosom Friends, the Acquaintance of Neck-Cutting, the Acquaintance of Glue, the Acquaintance of Chicken and Millet, the Acquaintance of Life, the Acquaintance of Age-Forgetting, the Acquaintance of Guan Bao, the Acquaintance of Life and Death." Wei Ming Yu's expression turned ugly. The Eight Seasons she said was already racking her brains, yet Jiang Xun had said such an unfamiliar and excellent answer. How could this not surprise her and make her angry? "These Eight Sworn Acquaintances is excellent. I didn't expect some of these women would even think of this." The noblemen clapped their hands and applauded. Jiang Xun didn’t become smug when she was praised by the noblemen, her appearance still seemed like she wasn’t surprised. "Xi Tang, I remember that you also said this Eight Sworn Acquaintances last time when you played the Eight Character Order with us. This Little Lady seems to be rather talented." Shen Xi Tang only hummed softly. He was playing with a piece of warm jade in his hand, his gaze was deep and his emotions were unreadable. After Jiang Xun gave her answer, a few more people had their turn. At the end of the second round, there were only five of the eight noble ladies left. It should have ended here, otherwise having too few noble women wouldn’t do. However, when Xiao Wang He looked at Shen Xi Tang and asked him in a low voice if he wanted to start to change the Poem-Modifying Order, Shen Xi Tang squeezed the warm jade in his hand and slowly replied, "No hurry, let them continue." He wanted to see how many Eight Character Orders this one can think of. In the end, Jiang Xun lived up to expectations and easily said one after another. "The Qin Scripts have eight volumes; Volume One, The Great Seal, Volume Two, The Lesser Seal, Volume Three, The Carved Talisman, Volume Four, The Insect Script, Volume Five is Facsimile, Volume Six is The Official Book, Volume Seven is Weapon Etching, Volume Eight is The Clerical Script." In the end, she actually defeated everyone, leaving only her. Revealing sharpness is often accompanied by the loss of composure, but Jiang Xun has remained calm and controlled, which really made people curious about her. It’s not like they could let Jiang Xun continue with them to play the Poem-Modifying Order, so Shen Xi Tang stood up and smiled lightly, "Those who answered the three orders may continue to the next round." Only four people managed to answer three orders, namely Wei Ming Yu, Jiang Xun, Jiang Cheng and Yan Yu Yue. Except for Jiang Xun's new arrival that no one recognizes her with the exception of the Yan family, the other three were the most eye-catching among the daughters of the capital’s nobles. "So now, I invite these four ladies to come play the Poem-Modifying Order with us." "The rules for the Poem-Modifying Order are very simple. Everyone must recite two lines of an ancient poem. In the first sentence, one word has to be deliberately mispronounced, while another ancient poem line will be used to compose the previous line in the second sentence with an explanation. As an example, I will go first." Xiao Wang He said slowly. His voice was like a breeze, comfortable and gentle. "The first sentence is: Her face is gone now, where to unknown, yet the plum blossoms beam on as spring winds flow. The second sentence is: Peach blossoms have left spots of red on the ground, if there’s wine keeping you, don’t return it. "Nice, Second Young Master Xiao, such two wonderful sentences. Exchanging the peach blossoms for plum blossoms, because the peach blossoms have already fallen onto the ground." "Let me go next." These noblemen were all extremely excited as if they had changed person. "The first sentence reads: The youngest left home while the second eldest returned. The reason: the eldest had married a business woman." "Haha, Jiang Ze Ran, your sentence is interesting." This kind of Poem-Modifying Order tests not only someone’s education level. It first tests one’s familiarity with the poem lines, but also their association and flexibility levels. No wonder these noblemen said at the beginning that this kind of xing ling would be a bit difficult for them ladies. Wei Ming Yu's original self-confident and proud appearance became a little bleak. This Poem-Modifying Order truly wasn’t easy, she actually couldn’t even think of a single line. It would be great if she could be given more time to think. It would be too difficult to improvise and select from the poems she had already read. When it was Wei Ming Yu's turn, she hesitated for a long time and felt that everyone was waiting to see her mess up. Looking at the other three people with her, she thought to herself: If she can't say one, they certainly can't either. So she gritted her teeth and said the two poem lines that she wasn’t satisfied with. "Had the East Winds not risen that Spring, to lend Zhou Yu a hand, a Qiao would have gone to Bronze Bird Tower in chains. Two Qiaos become one Qiao, only because: My thoughts drift to those years when Zhou had newly married the beautiful Qiao." After Wei Ming Yu finished speaking, she glanced at Shen Xi Tang nervously. Yet Shen Xi Tang didn't have any expressions, nor did he look at her. She was a bit disappointed, but fortunately, no one said that hers didn’t pass, which meant it was considered correct. Once she finished speaking, a nobleman followed. Soon enough it was Shen Xi Tang's turn. Before he had even spoken, the ladies were already sneaking glances at him. This Shen Xi Tang's demeanor was really unforgettable. Although the corners of his eyes and eyebrows weren’t warm and even icily cold, they don’t know why there was an amorous atmosphere that made people’s hearts stir. Shen Xi Tang answered, "First line: The dusk invades the tower high, where a bird sighs a longing sign. The next line: No one is in sight yet bird calls echo in the open mountain." His voice was like the sound of jade, especially pleasant to the ears. "It was supposed to be ‘Someone sighs a longing sign upstairs,’ but there was no one so only the voice of birds could be heard, so it was replaced with ‘where a bird sighs a longing sign.’ Brother Xi Tang’s thinking truly impresses people." Many noble ladies, including Wei Ming Yu, all expressed an expression of infatuated longing. Finally, it was Jiang Xun's turn. If she wanted to be in the top spot in this round, she had to beat the other talented noblemen. She had to find a different way and couldn't follow the usual routines. Therefore, when she said the first sentence, a plan came to mind, "Before my bed a pool of light, I wonder if it’s snow aground. Is it snow or frost, only because when the moon goes down, crows caw and frost fills the entire sky. The frost has already reached the sky." Although her sentence was unremarkable, it wasn’t bad and everyone nodded. Jiang Xun looked calm and didn't worry. She was just waiting for the second round. The second round took a little longer than the previous one. Everyone had to think for a while before answering. When it was Jiang Xun's turn again, her eyes brightened as she smiled, "Dong Ting has to wait for half of the frost. Why is it half not full? Because when the moon goes down, crows caw and frost fills the entire sky." Everyone froze. It was this sentence again. Everyone stared at Jiang Xun with different expressions. Jiang Xun fluttered her eyes and asked, "Am I wrong?" Xiao Wang He laughed "No, no, that's right, this sentence is very appropriate." His tone was gentle as he looked at Jiang Xun deeply. Yan Cong’s expression turned playful, as if he had discovered something interesting. The amusement in his eyes became more and more intense. "Continue." Shen Xi Tang glanced at Jiang Xun thoughtfully. In the third round, Wei Ming Yu, Jiang Cheng, and Yan Yu Yue all couldn’t think of any orders. The noblemen weren’t surprised, it already wasn’t easy to be able to name two. Even some of them, men couldn’t say anymore. When it was Jiang Xun's turn, everyone also had the psychological preparation that she wouldn’t be able to say another one. However, they all faintly held some expectation for her and felt that this woman was definitely different from all the rest. And sure enough, Jiang Xun didn’t disappoint them. Instead, she surprised them once again. She lightly replied, "Flowering bushes refract the gentle sunlight, covering every surface. Why sunlight and not moonlight, only because when the moon goes down, crows caw and frost fills the entire sky." This sentence again! Everyone's eyes widened. Wei Ming Yu looked around in shock and exploded with dissatisfaction, "How do you keep repeating this sentence? Is it impossible for you to say anything else?" "I don’t agree with that remark. This lady is truly knowledgeable, being able to think of so many Poem Modifying Orders with just one sentence. It really makes me admire her talent." "I'm flattered, I was just being lazy." Jiang Xun smiled playfully. An originally aloof beauty suddenly revealed a radiant smile. Her curved eyes turned into crescent moons and her cherry red lips opened slightly, making people’s hearts feel soft and them restless. Xiao Wang He's heart moved slightly. He watched Jiang Xun for a long time without looking away. Yan Cong had an unsmiling smiley appearance. No one knew what he was thinking. While Shen Xi Tang stared at Jiang Xun's lips and narrowed his eyes slightly as well as furrowing his brows. Look at Kang Wangye again, he was frowning deeply and his cold gaze had become weird. As Jiang Xun's gaze shifted between them, her smile became even softer. The author has something to say: Xiao Wang He: Such a woman, Wang He has to marry her Yan Cong: It's better for such a beauty to be hidden by him privately and not let her come out to seduce others Shen Xi Tang: So sultry, I don’t know if the taste will be as good as it looks. Kang Wangye: This woman is by no means kind. That eyes, that mouth and everything about her are irritating Jiang Xun: I'm right here, who’s coming first? He who comes first gains the advantage, those who come later won’t get a turn __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Notes: The Eight Virtues (八德): these come from the Confucianism, which was an integral part of Ancient Chinese life. The virtues are the same, only I used different words since I felt those were more appropriate. More information here eight-carriage sedan chair (八抬大轿): a sedan used for marriage that usually are held by eight people. More information here Gossipy (八婆): wanting to get into everyone’s business, usually a negative connotation. It is brought up as an Eight-Character Order because it has the character, eight, in the phrase Eight-Treasure Rice Pudding (八宝饭): a classic Chinese dessert that is glutinous rice with dried red dates, lotus seeds, candied plums, sweetened winter melon, dried longan, red bean paste, assorted beans and assorted nuts as the “eight treasures.” More information here The Eight Sounds (八音): I’m assuming it’s the eight qualities of Buddha as I couldn’t really find any information about it. More information here (This was the only site I found that somewhat described them, just Google Translate the site to English) The Eight Sworn Acquaintances (八拜之交): in Chinese culture, you can swear oaths to create relationships with people that you don't have blood relationships with, such as becoming sworn brothers Her face is gone now, where to unknown, yet the plum blossoms beam on as spring winds flow (人面不知何处去,梅花依旧笑春风): the changed character here is plum, in the actual poem it is peach blossoms. The actual poem is linked here Peach blossoms have left spots of red on the ground, if there’s wine keeping you, don’t return it (桃花落地红斑斑,有酒留君且莫还): It comes from the poem, 喜韩樽相过, by the Tang Dynasty poet, Cen Shan. Here’s the linked poem (remember to Google Translate to English. I did translate the entire poem myself, but I don’t really think my English translation would do it justice. Sorry!) The youngest left home while the second eldest returned (少小离家老二回): the actual poem is the eldest return. The actual poem is linked here the eldest had married a business woman (老大嫁作商人妇): The poem is linked here Had the East Winds not risen that Spring, to lend Zhou Yu a hand, a Qiao would have gone to Bronze Bird Tower in chains (东风不与周郎便,铜雀春深锁一乔): the words in the actual is Er-Qiao which refers to Zhou Yu’s wife. The actual poem is linked here Two Qiaos become one Qiao (二乔变为一乔): Two and Er, a measure number for two, is written the same in Chinese. Thus, a play on words My thoughts drift to those years when Zhou had newly married the beautiful Qiao (遥想公瑾当年,小乔初嫁了): the actual poem is linked here The dusk invades the tower high, where a bird sighs a longing sign (冥色入高楼,有鸟楼上愁): the bird word replaced the word, someone. The poem is linked here No one is in sight yet bird calls echo in the open mountain (空山不见人,但闻鸟语响): the actual words are voices. The poem is linked here Before my bed a pool of light, I wonder if it’s snow aground (床前明月光,疑是地上雪): the changed character here is snow, it’s supposed to be frost. More information here when the moon goes down, crows caw and frost fills the entire sky (月落乌啼霜满天): More information here Dong Ting has to wait for half of the frost (洞庭须待半林霜): the actual words are full of frost. Dong Ting is the name of a famous mountain. More information here (Remember to Google Translate to English) Flowering bushes refract the gentle sunlight, covering every surface (日照花林皆似霞): the sunlight is supposed to be moonlight. More information here
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IzzzzzJust an amateur translator. Novels
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